Congress puts up unity show with Selja & Hooda at Rahul rally

CHANDIGARH: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi accused BJP of driving Haryana's youth to sell their land and move abroad, often illegally, due to widespread unemployment and lack of opportunities under the party's governance since 2014. His campaign rallies in Assandh and Barwala for the Oct 5 assembly elections also served as a show of unity between Congress arch-rivals Kumari Selja and Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
Gandhi criticised the Agnipath scheme, claiming it deprived soldiers of stable jobs and pension benefits allegedly to favour the Adani Group. He accused the conglomerate of benefiting from the defence budget, acting as an intermediary in arms deals.
Gandhi said Agnipath was introduced to offset expenses incurred from the "one rank, one pension" (OROP) initiative, with the saved funds being directed to private conglomerates. He claimed these conglomerates purchased arms from Israel, reselling them to India with their label.
"The recruitment system is being destroyed systematically by BJP," he alleged. "The morale of soldiers recruited under Agnipath is down as they are working with soldiers recruited under the old recruitment policy."
Reflecting on his recent visit to the US, Gandhi shared experiences of meeting young people from Haryana who had risked their lives to reach America via "donkey routes". "Most of them had either sold their farmland or taken loans on hefty interest rates to go abroad for jobs. After interacting with them and their families, I have come to know it was because of unemployment, a non-conducive environment for business, high inflation, and the BJP govt's new recruitment policy in the Army," Gandhi said.
With BJP ramping up criticism of Congress over Selja's absence from the campaign, efforts from Hooda's camp have been made to reconcile with her. Tensions arose when loyalists of Selja were denied tickets in key constituencies. As a prominent Dalit politician, Selja's influence is crucial in a state where 21% of voters belong to the community and 17 assembly seats are reserved for scheduled castes.
Hooda's faction included Selja's photographs on their posters and began mentioning her in speeches to smooth over the rift. Gandhi used his platform to appeal for unity across caste lines and urged voters to support Congress. He reiterated Congress's commitment to conducting a caste census.
Presenting the Congress manifesto for Haryana, Gandhi promised Rs 2,000 a month to women, LPG cylinders for Rs 500, MSP guarantee for farmers, instant crop insurance payments, and 100-square-yard plots for the poor.
Accompanied by Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia, Gandhi praised wrestlers but condemned the sexual harassment of athletes. "Women wrestlers are being sexually harassed and are crying for justice, but BJP has been protecting that man," he said.
(Inputs: Vijender Kumar)